In the context of the political and economic changes that have marked Myanmar since 2010, this paper assesses the opportunities for sub-regional energy cooperation between four countries: Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar, with Myanmar as a node. The paper also analyses the strategic importance of sub-regional energy initiatives, and the politico-economic and social undercurrents that may enhance/impede relationships in the future. A gas exporter and a country with large potential for hydropower development, Myanmar is at the centre of the regional energy policy discourse. The paper explores available opportunities in the trade and development of fossil fuels, hydropower and renewable energy. The emphasis, the paper suggests, needs to be on building win-win partnerships that will harness complementarities. Myanmar stands to gain significant strategic mileage if its decisions are governed by a balance of enlightened self-interest and the need to forge ties with varied political partners.


The paper deals with the determinants of labour out-migration from agriculture across 149 EU regions over the 1990-2008 period. The central aim is to shed light on the role played by CAP payments on this important adjustment process. Using static and dynamic panel data estimators, we show that standard neo-classic drivers, like the relative income and the relative labour share, represent significant determinants of the inter-sectoral migration of agricultural labour. Overall, CAP payments contributed significantly to job creation in agriculture, although the magnitude of the economic effect was quite moderate. We also found that Pillar I subsidies exerted an effect approximately two times greater than that of Pillar II payments.


The Mediterranean diet (MD) has been recommended for type 2 diabetes (T2D) treatment. The impact of diet in shaping the gut microbiota is well known, particularly for MD. However, the link between MD and diabetes outcome improvement is not completely clear. This study aims to evaluate the role of microbiota modulation by a nonpharmacological intervention in patients with T2D. In this 12-week single-arm pilot study, nine participants received individual nutritional counseling sessions promoting MD. Gut microbiota, biochemical parameters, body composition, and blood pressure were assessed at baseline, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks after the intervention. Adherence to MD [assessed by Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) score] increased after the intervention. Bacterial richness increased after 4 weeks of intervention and was negatively correlated with fasting glucose levels and Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR). Prevotella to Bacteroides ratio also increased after 4 weeks. In contrast, glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and HOMA-IR were only decreased at the end of study. Alkaline phosphatase activity was assessed in fecal samples and was negatively correlated with HbA1c and positively correlated with bacterial diversity. The results of this study reinforce that MD adherence results in a better glycemic control in subjects with T2D. Changes in gut bacterial richness caused by MD adherence may be relevant in mediating the metabolic impact of this dietary intervention.


BACKGROUND: The oxybutynin is an anticholinergic agent that binds to muscarinic receptors of bladder muscle promoting an antispasmodic effect. As a consequence there is an increase in bladder capacity, reduction in frequency and a blockade in the initial stimuli of miction. OBJECTIVE: To verify the action of oxybutynin on bladder overactivity due to hemorrhagic cystitis. METHODS: Hemorrhagic cystitis was provoked through an intraperitoneal injection of 200mg/kg of cyclophosphamide in 10 female rats, weighting 200-250g, 24h before the experiment. The control group of 5 female rats received an intraperitoneal injection of 0.5ml of saline. In the experiment the animals were anesthetized with 1.25mg/kg of urethane followed by a cystostomy with a P-50 catheter connected in Y to an infusion pump (rate of infusion - 0.3ml/min) and to a polygraph to register bladder pressure. The parameters studied were: frequency of bladder contraction (Fc), contraction intensity (Ci), time of bladder filling (Tf) and contraction (Tc), and vesical capacity (Vc) (Tf x flow). We determined the mean value for each parameter following of 10min of observation. After these determinations all rats received 71mg/kg of oxybutynin chloride through nasogastric tubing and 1h afterward the measures were repeated. The data were compared with the Kruskal-Wallis test considering significant a p<0.05. RESULTS: A comparison both groups (control versus experimental) before the use of oxybutynin showed the following values of p: Fc - 0.007; Ci - 0.0002; Tf - 0.768; Tc - 0.492; Vc - 0.055. After the use of oxybutynin the corresponding values were: Fc - p=0.055; Ci - p=0.0002; Tf - 0.957; Tc - p=0.181; Vc - p=0.206. CONCLUSION: The oxybutynin chloride was able to control bladder overactivity expressed by a significant reduction in frequency, but no changes in other parameters.


End consumer of energy is getting more cautious of their environmental footprint and with the cost of renewable energy sources like photo-voltaic solar progressively declining, it is expected that the percentage contribution from these new and renewable sources in overall power generation will increase. However, the renewable energy sources carry their own set of drawbacks which is slowing their widespread acceptance. First and foremost is the variability in generation, then controlling the power output from solar is also not trivial since the generation is highly dependent on the external factors such as solar irradiance. Furthermore, there is a mismatch between the demand profile from the consumer and the supply profile of solar. This increased integration of renewable sources in the present grid creates a set of problems such as over voltage, power back flow and instability. In this paper we propose a curtailment based solution to the problem of over production. We provide an algorithm which controls the power output from solar panels. It delivers maximum possible power during the times of low irradiance and curtails the power output during the times of peak generation. With real-data on solar panel output across multiple prosumers, we are able to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.


Over the past decade, research studies on benefits, critical success factors, difficulties, process, conceptual and theoretical models of construction partnering have been ubiquitous in the construction management discipline. In fact, there is adequate evidence that an increasing number of client organizations are adopting a partnering approach to undertake their building and construction projects both locally and worldwide during the last decade. With the perceived benefits that partnering brings about, research into Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to evaluate the success of partnering projects in construction becomes vital as it can help set a benchmark for measuring the performance level of partnering projects. However, although there are some related studies and papers on this research area, few, if any, comprehensive and systematic studies focus on developing a comprehensive, objective, reliable and practical performance evaluation model for partnering projects. A model has been developed using the Delphi survey technique to objectively measure the performance of partnering projects in Hong Kong based on a consolidated KPIs' conceptual framework previously developed for partnering projects. Four rounds of Delphi questionnaire survey were conducted with 31 construction experts in Hong Kong. The results reveal that the top seven weighted KPIs to evaluate the success of partnering projects in Hong Kong were: (1) time performance; (2) cost performance; (3) top management commitment; (4) trust and respect; (5) quality performance; (6) effective communications; and (7) innovation and improvement. A statistically significant consensus on the top seven weighted KPIs was also obtained. Finally, a composite Partnering Performance Index (PPI) for partnering projects in Hong Kong was derived to provide an all‐round assessment of partnering performance. Different partnering projects can now be assessed on the same basis for benchmarking purposes. Construction senior executives and project managers can thus use the Index to measure, evaluate and improve the performance of their partnering projects to strive for construction excellence. Although the PPI was developed locally in Hong Kong, the research method could be replicated in other parts of the world to produce similar indices for international comparison. Such an extension would aid the understanding of managing partnering projects across different geographic locations.


Using a novel dataset that allows us to trace the primary bank relationships of a sample of mostly unlisted firms in Eastern Europe, we explore to what extent foreign banks can improve the allocation of credit. Our results suggest that the limits of financial integration are less tight than what previous literature based on a static picture of bank loan portfolios suggested. Foreign banks appear to allocate credit more efficiently than domestic banks do. Most importantly, using a propensity score methodology, we show that only in countries where foreign bank presence is limited, firms that (directly) borrow from a foreign bank obtain more financial loans than comparable firms and thus invest more and have higher increases in profitability. In other words, firms seem to benefit from foreign bank presence only if they maintain a direct relationship. In countries where foreign bank presence is large, on the contrary, firms appear to have the same access to financial loans and ability to invest whether they borrow from a foreign bank or not. Thus it appears that foreign banks presence affects domestic banks lending policies and improves access to credit for all firms.


A multi-vehicle search strategy based on the simplex algorithm is proposed. The strategy is decomposed into a hierarchical scheme with three layers. The upper layer is described by a discrete-event system. The output of this layer is a set of way-points for the vehicles and it is used by the middle layer in order to coordinate the motion of the vehicles. The lower layer drives each vehicle to a way-point. The paper compares two possible discrete coordination strategies: one minimizes the travelled distance of the vehicles and the other avoids their trajectories to cross. Minimization of vehicle intercommunication is also studied. Copyright c © 2004 IFAC


The concept of issues management has gained corporate management attention in research and practice. Issues management is generally concerned with the identification, analysis, probability (educated guess), and projected timing of emerging issues, from both external and internal environments. A practical concern in issues management is adapting it to the planning processes that are best for a given institution and its leadership. Incorporation of issues management within strategic planning can benefit Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Giving the issues, the organizational responses can dictate the difference between the success and the failure of the management effort and practices. This paper attempts to delineate the lack of efforts of a major HBCU in attempting to integrate issues management action into the institutional practice of strategic planning. The intent is to make issues management an ongoing and systematic institutional exercise, for the regular five year cycle of the institutional strategic planning process. Another option in which one might view the link between strategic planning and issues management is to consider issues management as an alternative to the process of planning by formal organizational structure. In many ways, issues management objectives are similar to those of the strategic planning structure or the strategic business area (SBA). In conclusion, issues management process's real strength lies in its ability to get at issues that transcended traditional organizational boundaries, or at issues that necessitate cross-unit strategies. It is the opinion of the authors that strategic planning, by method of traditional organizational structure is necessary, but that it can be supported by the crossunit planning that the issues management process permits. Lastly, issues management conveys to the members of the organization a clear message that they should be attentive to these strategic issues from external and internal environmental scanning when formulating long range strategic plan.


As the development of social economy, China's urbanization, industrialization has developed rapidly. However the development of countryside's economy is slowly. Because of fewer land and more people, a large number of surplus population in the countryside. In order to seek better opportunities for development, many farmers pour into the city. To seek better living conditions, the farmers who are able to live in the city pour into the city. But the poor farmers began to build a new house in the periphery of the country, because the center houses of village do not suit for living. Population outsourcing formed "hollow village", and the question is more and more serious. This article has analyzed the phenomenon of "Hollow village" and some suggestions for improvement are put forward.


Stability studies performed by the pharmaceutical industry are only designed to fulfil licensing requirements. Thus post-dilution or reconstitution stability data are frequently limited to 24 h only for bacteriological reasons, regardless of the true chemical stability, which could, in many cases, be longer. In practice, the pharmacy based centralised preparation may require infusions to be made several days in advance to provide, for example, the filling of ambulatory devices for continuous infusions or batch preparations for dose banding. Furthermore, a non-justified limited stability for expensive products is obviously very costly. Thus there is a compelling need for additional stability data covering practical uses of anticancer drugs. A European consensus conference was held in France in May 2010, under the auspices of the French Society of Oncology Pharmacy (SFPO), to propose adapted rules on stability in practical situations and guidelines for performing corresponding stability studies. For each anticancer drug, considering their therapeutic index, pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) variability, specific clinical use and risks related to degradation products (DPs), the classic limit of 10% of degradation can be inappropriate. Therefore, acceptance limits must be clinically relevant and should be defined for each drug individually. Design of stability studies has to reflect the different needs of clinical practice (preparation for the weekends, outpatient transportations, implantable devices, dose banding…). It is essential to use validated stability indicating methods, separating degradation products being formed in the practical use of the drug. Sequential temperature designs should be encouraged to replicate problems seen in daily practice such as rupture of the cold-chain or temperature-cycling between refrigerated storage and ambient in-use conditions. Stressed conditions are recommended to evaluate not only the role of classic variability factors (ie, pH, temperature, light) but also mechanical stress. Physical stability, such as particle formation, should be systematically evaluated. The consensus conference focused on the need to perform more studies on the stability of biotherapies, including a minimum of three complementary separating methods and careful evaluation of submicronic aggregates. The determination of biological activity of proteins could be also useful. A guideline on the practical stability of anticancer drugs is proposed to cover current clinical and pharmaceutical practices. It should contribute to improved security of use, optimization centralised handling and reduced costs. Finally, we have attempted to establish a new drug stability paradigm based on practical clinical needs, to complement regulatory guidelines which are essentially orientated to the stability of manufactured drugs.


Who's Who in Dickens is an accessible guide to the many characters in Charles Dickens' fiction. Dickens' characters are strikingly portrayed and have become a vital part of our cultural heritage - Scrooge has become a by-word for stinginess, Uriah Heep for unctuousness. From the much loved Oliver Twist to the fact-grubbing Mr Gradgrind, the obstinate Martin Chuzzlewit to the embittered Miss Havisham, this book covers the famous and lesser known characters in Dickens. The book contains a physical and psychological profile of each character, a critical look at his characters by past and present influential commentators and over forty illustrations of major characters drawn by Dickens' contemporaries.


There is a growing interest in mining opinions using sentiment analysis methods from sources such as news, blogs and product reviews. Most of these methods have been developed for English and are difficult to generalize to other languages. We explore an approach utilizing state-of-the-art machine translation technology and perform sentiment analysis on the English translation of a foreign language text. Our experiments indicate that (a) entity sentiment scores obtained by our method are statistically significantly correlated across nine languages of news sources and five languages of a parallel corpus; (b) the quality of our sentiment analysis method is largely translator independent; (c) after applying certain normalization techniques, our entity sentiment scores can be used to perform meaningful cross-cultural comparisons.


This study is an intersectional analysis of how women who've immigrated to the bilingual municipality of Pajala, experience their current and future work life. The study is based on nine qualitative interviews with women of different class, age and origin. A number of constellations of relationships between these categories emerge in this study. What seems most central is that traditional notions of femininity and masculinity segregate labor vertically and horizontally. A lot of women feel alienated towards working in male-dominated occupations and branches, and some experience barriers to reaching higher positions that currently are held by men. The importance of sex seems to be most prominent among women in less sex labeled professions that at times work in male dominated groups. These women end up in deviant positions that lead to greater visibility, being judged based on stereotypes of sex and occupation as well as being in the contrast of the dominating culture of the group. The effects appear to be further enhanced by class, age and origin. Private relationships seem important even in work life and if a woman does not fit in to the prevailing stereotype of women, striving for a carrier rather than family, she is regarded as deviant. Origin seems to be most significant when the woman is born abroad and does not speak Swedish or the minority language Meankieli, the mother tongue of many natives. This occurs to restrict labor market access and the opportunity for permanent employment. There are also indications that the importance of origin is reinforced by class. Meankieli is used in informal settings by both white and blue collar workers but is, in formal settings, more frequently used by blue collar workers.


Music was integral to the profound cultural, social and political changes that swept the globe in 1968. This collection of essays offers new perspectives on the role that music played in the events of that year, which included protests against the ongoing Vietnam War, the May riots in France and the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. From underground folk music in Japan to antiauthoritarian music in Scandinavia and Germany, Music and Protest in 1968 explores music's key role as a means of socio-political dissent not just in the US and the UK but in Asia, North and South America, Europe and Africa. Contributors extend the understanding of musical protest far beyond a narrow view of 'protest song' to explore how politics and social protest played out in many genres, including experimental and avant-garde music, free jazz, rock, popular song and film and theatre music.


Ligament laxity is a known complication of erosive immune-mediated polyarthritis (IMPA) in dogs. The purpose of this study was to describe the occurrence and clinical features of carpal or tarsal ligament laxity in cases of nonerosive IMPA in dogs for the first time. Five client-owned dogs with a diagnosis of nonerosive IMPA and carpal or tarsal ligament laxity in which the influence of corticosteroids was excluded were identified. Medical records were reviewed, and data including signalment, investigative findings, and treatment regimen (e.g., surgical management) was extracted. Primary care practices were contacted to obtain follow-up, and the data was descriptively analyzed. The affected joints were either carpi and tarsi (n = 3) or carpi only (n = 2). In three cases, surgical arthrodesis was performed. Three dogs were euthanized (1 mo, 12 mo, and 5 yr) as a result of the severity of clinical signs and poor control. In the four dogs surviving >6 mo, multiple episodes of relapse were recorded, and multimodal immunosuppression was needed. The prognosis for the dogs described was poor, with none achieving control of the disease without ongoing immunosuppressive therapy. Damage to soft-tissue periarticular structures may be related to prolonged clinical disease or a more severe presentation. Jaccoud's arthropathy in humans with systemic lupus erythematosus may represent a homologous presentation.


Objective Cholecystokinin (CCK) and gastrin stimulate growth of pancreatic cancer through the CCK-B receptor (CCK-BR). A splice variant of the CCK-BR that results from a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) has been identified. Because the splice variant receptor has an extended third intracellular loop, an area involved in cell signaling and growth, we hypothesized that this genetic variant could contribute to the poor prognosis and short survival of this malignancy. Methods DNA from 931 patients with pancreatic cancer was evaluated for the SNP (C > A; rs1800843) in the CCK-BR gene. For statistical analysis, the Fisher exact test was used to compare the genotype and allele frequency between the cancer cohort and normal controls and the dependence of genotype on factors, such as stage of disease and age, was analyzed using Cox proportional hazards models. Results Compared to the normal cohort, the frequency of the A-allele in pancreatic cancer subjects was increased (P = 0.01123; odds ratio, 2.283). Even after adjustment for stage of disease, survival of subjects with the minor allele was significantly shorter than those with the wild-genotype (hazard ratio, 1.83; P = 3.11 × 10−11). Conclusions The CCK-BR SNP predicts survival and should be studied as a candidate genetic biomarker for those at risk of pancreatic cancer.


Abstract Objectives: The aim of this study is to derive a consensus on an interdisciplinary competency framework regarding a holistic approach for audiological rehabilitation (AR), which includes disciplines from medicine, engineering, social sciences and humanities. Design: We employed a modified Delphi method. In the first round survey, experts were asked to rate an initial list of 28 generic interdisciplinary competencies and to propose specific knowledge areas for AR. In the second round, experts were asked to reconsider their answers in light of the group answers of the first round. Study sample: An international panel of 27 experts from different disciplines in AR completed the first round. Twenty-two of them completed the second round. Results: We developed a competency framework consisting of 21 generic interdisciplinary competencies grouped in five domains and nine specific competencies (knowledge areas) in three clusters. Suggestions for the implementation of the generic competencies in interdisciplinary programmes were identified. Conclusions: This study reveals insights into the interdisciplinary competencies that are unique for AR. The framework will be useful for educators in developing interdisciplinary programmes as well as for professionals in considering their lifelong training needs in AR.


Introduction Unprotected intercourse after oral emergency contraception (EC) significantly increases pregnancy risk. This underlies the importance of promptly starting effective, ongoing contraception – known as 'quick starting.' However, theoretical concern exists that quick starting might interact with EC or hormonal contraception (HC) potentially causing adverse side effects. Methods A systematic review was conducted, evaluating quick starting HC after oral EC (levonorgestrel 1.5mg [LNG] or ulipristal acetate 30mg [UPA]). PubMed, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, ICTRP, ClinicalTrials.gov and relevant reference lists were searched in February 2016. A lack of comparable studies prevented meta-analysis. Results Three randomised controlled trials were identified. Two biomedical studies suggested HC action was unaffected by quick starting after UPA; one study examined ovarian quiescence (OR: 1.27; 95% CI 0.51 to 3.18) while taking combined oral contraception (COC). Another assessed cervical mucus impenetrability (OR: 0.76; 95% CI 0.27 to 2.13) while taking progestogen-only pills (POP). Quick starting POP reduced the ability of UPA to delay ovulation (OR: 0.04; 95% CI 0.01 to 0.37). Side effects (OR: 1.22; 95% CI 0.48 to 3.12) and unscheduled bleeding (OR: 0.53; 95% CI 0.16 to 1.81) were unaffected by quick starting COC after UPA. Another study reported higher self-reported contraceptive use at eight weeks among women quick starting POP after LNG, compared with women given LNG alone (OR: 6.73; 95% CI 2.14 to 21.20). Discussion Limited evidence suggests quick starting HC after UPA does not reduce HC efficacy, however it reduces UPA efficacy. Consequently, women should delay starting HC after UPA.


Abstract : The Overseas Environmental Baseline Guidance Document (OEBGD) establishes the baseline environmental standards for United States (U.S.) forces operating overseas and is the template for the development of Environmental Final Governing Standards (FGS). FGS are required at any long-term U.S. installation and set the standard of environmental compliance for U.S. forces in each individual country. The purpose of this research is to analyze the FGS of different countries and compare their requirements to the OEBGD requirements. The individual FGS were scored according to if sections were more stringent, less stringent or the same as the OEBGD. The countries analyzed were then plotted in a model of environmental performance and governance called the Lester Model. The Lester Model categorizes the countries according to their environmental performance and governance scores. While the results did not indicate that a country's position in the Lester Model has a strong relationship with the overall strictness of the FGS, the analysis did identify a number of mistakes in the FGS. The mistakes found ranged from spelling errors to formatting mistakes to inconsistent references.


Objective. In Total Knee Arthroplasty, an insert is selected to give optimal movement and stability. The depth of tibial resection is the major influence on insert thickness. A deep resection has drawbacks: it may destabilise the posterior cruciate insertion, the cut may not be through strong subchondral bone, and inserts up to 20mm must be available. In-line traction has been used in some centres to select the resection depth, but has not been described. This paper compares the depth of resection achieved with stylus technique against manual in-line traction technique using the spacer block. Methods. Retrospective comparative study. 70 'Stylus' cases versus 70 'Traction' cases. Insert thickness utilised as a surrogate of the depth of resection. Numbers of inserts used of each thickness, and data about potential confounding factors, retrieved from e-record. Wilcoxon rank-sum test for increase / decrease in the median insert thickness for 'Traction' compared to 'Stylus'. Observations made on limb alignment, joint line obliquity and kinematic resurfacing. Results. 'Traction' (median 8mm) gives a more bone-conserving cut than 'Stylus' (median 10mm)(p=0.013). Numbers of inserts implanted (Stylus, Traction): Tibial re-cut (6,6); 8mm insert (23,39); 10mm insert (26,18); 12.5mm insert (13,7); 15mm insert (2,0). Discussion and Conclusion. Study findings suggest in-line traction can reference from the distal femoral cut, appropriately tensioning the capsule and ligaments, to give a bone-conserving tibial cut. The technique can be used with existing instruments. Further investigation is proposed into limb alignment: specifically, intra-operative traction as a complement to kinematic resurfacing of the femur.


Salmonella is a genus of bacteria responsible for over 90 million cases of intestinal illnesses yearly. Like many bacteria, Salmonella can create a biofilm matrix, which confers stronger resistance against antibiotics. However, there has been relatively little research on the inhibition of Salmonella biofilm formation, which is a crucial factor in its widespread growth. This study was conducted to determine the anti-bacterial and anti-biofilm effects of commonly used farm probiotics on Salmonella. Salmonella species were inoculated in 0.1 A, 0.01 A, 0.001 A concentrations of filtered probiotic supernatants. Bacterial and biofilm growths were measured quantitatively with a UV spectrophotometer using absorbance values and compared qualitatively with crystal violet dye staining. All probiotic filtrate showed some levels of inhibition on Salmonella bacterial growth. For most cases, the strongest inhibitory effect was exhibited at the 0.1 A (A=1x109 bacteria/ml) concentration. For biofilm inhibition, both autoclaved and non-autoclaved filtrates showed the strongest inhibitory effects at a specific concentration of 0.001 A. In this case, higher concentrations of probiotic filtrate did not appear to correlate with stronger anti-biofilm properties. Differences in the anti-bacterial and anti-biofilm trends of probiotic filtrate suggest that they most likely inhibit growth and biofilm formation through different mechanisms. These findings also bring insight into the species-specific effects of the different probiotic species tested, and provide new information in determining optimal concentrations of probiotics that should be given to farm animals for probiotics to work most effectively against Salmonella.


Amplification and overexpression of CHD1L is one of the most frequent genetic alterations in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here we found that one of CHD1L downstream targets, NTKL, was frequently upregulated in HCC, which was significantly correlated with vascular invasion (P = 0.012) and poor prognosis (P = 0.050) of HCC. ChIP assay demonstrated the binding of CHD1L to the promoter region of NTKL. QRT-PCR study showed that the expression of NTKL positively correlated with CHD1L expression in both clinical samples and cell lines. Functional study found that NTKL had strong oncogenic roles, including increased cell growth, colony formation in soft agar, and tumor formation in nude mice. Further study found that NTKL could promote G1/S transition by decreasing P53 and increasing CyclinD1 expressions. NTKL overexpression could accelerate the mitotic exit and chromosome segregation, which led to the cytokinesis failure and subsequently induced apoptosis. NTKL also regulated cell motility by facilitating philopodia and lamellipodia formation through regulating F-actin reorganization and the phosphorylation of small GTPase Rac1/ cdc42. Using co-IP and mass spectrometry approach, we identified the large GTPase dynamin2 as an interacting protein of NTKL, which might be responsible for the phenotype alterations caused by NTKL overexpression, such as cytokinesis failure, increased cell motility and abnormal of cell division.


Visual cryptography (VC), proposed by Naor and Shamir, has numerous applications, including visual authentication and identification, steganography, and image encryption. In 2006, Horng showed that cheating is possible in VC, where some participants can deceive the remaining participants by forged transparencies. Since then, designing cheating-prevention visual secret-sharing (CPVSS) schemes has been studied by many researchers. In this paper, we cryptanalyze the Hu-Tzeng CPVSS scheme and show that it is not cheating immune. We also outline an improvement that helps to overcome the problem.


Various sedimentological, geophysical and oceanographic techniques have
been used to study postglacial and contemporary sedimentary processes in the
NE Menai Strait and Conwy Bay.
Seismic records show three main reflectors, which delineate three
depositional sequences (glacial, post-glacial and modern). The maximum
recorded depth of the Pre Quaternary bedrock is 99m O. D. Newlyn, northeast of
Puffin Island in a channel-filled structure which is probably an extension of the
Dinorwic Fault. Variations in thickness of modern sediment deposits indicate
the dynamic nature of sedimentation in the area.
Tidal currents have been measured over spring/neap cycles at several
stations. It is shown that residual currents in the NE Menai Strait are to the
southwest though near Great Ormes Head (in the northern part of the study
area) they are to the northeast. It is shown that sedimentation in this macrotidal
coastal area is controlled primarily by tidal currents.
Most of the seabed is covered by sands with local occurrences of gravelly
sands, muddy sands, and sandy muds. The area can be subdivided into 5
subareas on the basis of sediment type, statistical grain size parameters,
configuration of grain size distribution curves, and percentages of organic matter
and carbonate. In Area A (near Bangor Pier) the sediments are very fine sands to
medium silts, poorly and very poorly sorted, very positive skewed. The sediments
are dominated by intermittent suspension and suspension populations. The
sediments of Area B are: unimodal, fine and very fine sands, very well sorted,
positively skewed, leptokurtic, and the dominant mode of transport is
intermittent suspension. In the main channel area of the Menai Strait (Area C),
mean grain size ranges from gravel to fine sands, sorting is spatially very
variable, skewness is very negative, and sediment transport modes are surface
creep and intermittent suspension. Northeast of Puffin Island (Area D)
sediments are: poorly to very poorly sorted, negative and very negative skewed,
and sediment transport modes are surface creep, intermittent suspension and
suspension. Near Great Ormes Head (Area E), sediments are poorly to very
poorly sorted, very positively skewed and the dominant transport mode is
suspension. Small-scale ripples are the most abundant surficial bedforms in the
intertidal areas where the sediments are fine grained and current velocities are
relatively low. More than 80% of the observed megaripples are found in those
areas where the water depth is between 9m and 11m and mean grain size >3.04.
Sandwaves predominate in those areas with water depth >11m, where the grain
size is <2.750. Sandwaves also occur in intertidal areas where water depths are
4-6m at high water and sediment size is 2.0-2.50.
Calculated sediment transports at 12 hydrographic stations (subtidal area)
vary from 1 to 136 kg cm-1 per tide depending mainly on sediment grain size and
current velocity. In intertidal areas, the rate of flood dominant sediment
transport increases away from the Arfon coastline towards the main channel in
the Menai Strait and increases to the southwest as the Menai Strait narrows.
Residual sediment transport is generally in the flood direction.
It is shown that the net sediment transport in the area is to the southwest
since: (1) bedform asymmetries are in the flood direction; (2) trends of grain size
fining, regionally improved sorting, and a change from negative to positive
skewness are to the southwest; (3) calculated residual transport vectors are also
to the southwest.


Sugarcane straw is a crop residue known as the main input of carbon (C) to the soil, but its removal represents a valuable asset for bioenergy purposes, which may adversely affect soil organic C (SOC) stocks. Most studies related to this issue is limited to site-specific conditions and comprehensive studies in a wide range of soils and climate regions are scarce. This study was designed to evaluate temporal SOC stocks changes induced by sugarcane cultivation and straw management in the southern-central of Brazil. Ten field experiments were arranged in a randomized block design with four replications, including four straw removal rates: total (TR), high (HR), low (LR) and no removal (NR). Soil samples were collected to a 30-cm depth at the beginning of the trial establishment and after four consecutive years. The dataset suggested that 19% and 25% of the C added via straw were accumulated into the soil of the sandy and clayey areas, respectively. This study showed strong SOC depletion in sandy soils at rates of 1.4, 1.5, 1.9 and 2.3 Mg ha-1 year-1 under NR, LR, HR and TR, respectively. In contrast, clayey soils exhibited SOC accumulation over time, even removing all the straw from the soil surface. Based on SOC changes, these findings provide a robust scientific basis to support policy and management decisions for straw-derived bioenergy, showing that the removal of sugarcane straw may be potentially advantageous in clayey soils but should be avoided in sandy soils of tropical regions in Brazil.


The broad-scale effects of salmon farming on benthic and epibenthic macrofaunal communities of four Scottish sea lochs (Kishorn, Duich, Hourn and Nevis) with different aquaculture loadings were investigated based on the first benthic surveys to be undertaken in these lochs. Significant variation in the benthic communities was identified between lochs, mainly related to differences in the abundance of echinoderms and polychaetes (the dominant compo- nents of the benthic communities). Variance partitioning using partial redundancy analysis suggested that approximately 9.6% of this variation could be related to aquaculture activity in the lochs (as expressed through "production" and pre- viously modelled "impact" levels), as compared to 20.6% attributable to measured environmental factors. Epibenthic communities were dominated by echinoderms and arthropods and there was no significant between-loch variation in epibenthic community composition. No significant differences were apparent in the benthic or epibenthic community assemblages between samples taken within 2000 m of a fish farm and those taken beyond this distance. In general, our results support previous studies suggesting a spatially limited impact of salmon culture installations on the benthos, although impacts on the aquatic food web on a wide spatial scale cannot be ruled out and the link between benthic community variation and aquaculture variables identified through variance partitioning requires further investigation.


Dimensional variation analysis (DVA) models have been used in the manufacturing industry for over 20 years to predict how minor variations in the size, shape and location of the components parts is likely to propagate throughout and affect the overall dimensions, operation and performance of a complete mechanical system. This paper is one of in series of four papers that describe how different techniques can be utilised to aid the creation and application of DVA models. This paper explains the development and use of a two stage DVA model to simulate the action of a hydraulic tappet adjuster and dimensional interdependence that exists between the adjustment of a hydraulic tappet and the actuation (opening & closing) of the cylinder valve. The three other papers cover the use of kinematic constraint maps to prepare the structure of a DVA model; the use of virtual fixtures, jigs and gauges to achieve the necessary component location and the required variation measurements, and the use of 3D plots to display large numbers of DVA results as a single 3D shape. A hydraulic tappet adjustor performs two functions; it is part of the valve train system that actuates (opens & closes) the cylinder valve and it also self adjusts to take up any free play in the valve train system. These two functions, tappet adjustment and valve actuation, are separate operations that occur at different times during the valve train operating cycle and so need to be modelled as different configurations in a DVA model. In a conventional multiple configuration DVA model, each configuration has to be fully constrained and mathematically closed independently of any other model configuration. This requirement makes it difficult to include the interdependence between tappet adjustment and valve actuation. The two stage approach overcomes this limitation by allowing the output variation from the tappet setting configuration to be carried over into the valve actuation configuration and can thereby fully account for the interdependence between the two operations.


Dynamic models of solar system evolution suggest that D-type asteroids formed beyond Saturn's orbit and represent invaluable witnesses of the prevailing conditions in the outer solar system. Here, we report a comprehensive petrographic and isotopic characterization of the carbonaceous chondrite Tarda, a recent fall recovered in the Moroccan Sahara. We show that Tarda shares strong similarities with the D-type-derived chondrite Tagish Lake, implying that Tarda represents a rare sample of D-type asteroids. Both Tarda and Tagish Lake are characterized by the presence of rare 16O-rich chondrules and chondrule fragments, high C/H ratios, and enrichments in deuterium, 15N, and 13C. By combining our results with literature data on carbonaceous chondrites related to C-type asteroids, we show that the outer solar system 4.56 Gy ago was characterized by large-scale oxygen isotopic homogeneities in (i) the water–ice grains accreted by asteroids and (ii) the gas controlling the formation of FeO-poor chondrules. Conversely, the zone in which D-type asteroids accreted was significantly enriched in deuterium relative to the formation regions of C-type asteroids, features likely inherited from unprocessed, D-rich, molecular-cloud materials.


For decades economic growth and its determinants have been the centre of attention among both theoretical and development economists. Theoretical economists have built models of economic growth while development economists are concerned as to how low-income countries can catch up with the rich ones, or, worse, become caught in a low-income trap. The persistence of poverty in some countries in the world and the failure to catch up has caused social scientists to not only review and debate the sources of economic growth but also to take the debate of convergence more seriously and try to provide different explanations.
Neoclassical growth (NCGM) and new growth (NGM) theories, currently the main contending schools of thought, try to explain growth sources, and, by extension, convergence by focusing on capital accumulation and technological change, respectively. However, empirical studies using either model largely ignore the importance of institutions, on which there is increasing focus and discussion of economic performance, and globalization, which affects the economic welfare of countries. Therefore, in this research we try to reopen the debate of convergence incorporating these factors in re-estimating the above models. We do this by examining convergence for three groups of countries, which are classified by income according to the World Bank classification method, and by applying the GMM method to estimate the growth models.
The results of this research show that the income level of countries is material when it comes to both the sources of growth and the speed of convergence. The debate over which model (NCGM or NGM) is appropriate is not that meaningful. Each model is appropriate for countries at particular levels of income, but not for the entire income range. The NCGM, which is believed to be obsolete by many economists, especially those who espouse the NGM, continues to be relevant for many countries of the world.
Testing the convergence hypothesis in terms of GDP per capita shows that middle-income countries converge with high-income ones in both models. However, this only occurs very slowly in low-income countries. Therefore, we can conclude that income convergence is not monotonic and that an income threshold may need to be reached before convergence occurs. This shows the existence of a poverty trap.
Investigating the role of institutions and globalization and innovation factors shows that these factors are the most important drivers of growth for middle-income and high-income countries but not for low-income countries. However, the effects of these variables were greatest across middle-income countries compared to high-income countries, which makes sense for the convergence hypothesis in both classes.
Capital accumulation and secondary schooling are the most important drivers for low-income countries. This result again alerts us to the existence of an income threshold. Being more globalized and having stronger institutions does not work for these groups of countries unless they reach a certain level of income. This is consistent with the results of other researchers who find that 'the tide of globalization does not lift all boats'.


The fast track provides a 'no-frills' procedure for medium-sized cases that do not justify the detailed and meticulous preparation appropriate for complex and important cases. Instead, cases allocated to this track will be progressed to trial within a short timescale after the filing of a defence. The fast track covers the majority of defended claims within the £10,000–£25,000 monetary band. It also deals with non-monetary claims such as injunctions, declarations, and claims for specific performance which are unsuitable for the small claims track and do not require the more complex treatment of the multi-track. This chapter covers directions for cases allocated to the fast track; standard fast track timetable; agreed directions; varying the directions timetable; listing for trial; fast track trial; and costs in fast track cases.


This issue of DMM News is dedicated to an article by Peter Fonagy, one of the most important contemporary psychoanalysts. Prof. Fonagy is very interested in attachment theory and is the man who focused the attention of researchers and clinicians on the importance of mentalizing. At the 4th IASA Conference in Miami in 2015, he presented a trans-theoretical reformulation of the role of attachment and mentalization in adaptation and in psychopathology, using the DMM perspective. Here in the DMM News, he presents these ideas in print.


We developed a rapid, simple, and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography method with UV detection for the quantitative determination of mycophenolic acid (MPA) in human plasma. MPA and the internal standard (naproxen) were separated using a mobile phase of 0.04 M H3PO4-acetonitrile-methanol (3:3:4 v/v/v) over a CAPCELL PAK C18 MG column. A ‰ow-rate of 0.5 ml/min was used at ambient temperature and sample detection was carried out at 254 nm. The assay required only 100 ml of plasma and involved liquid-liquid extraction, which gave high recovery (>94%). The lower limit of quantiˆcation for MPA was 0.05 mg/ml. Interand intra-day coe‹cients of variation were less than 9.6% and accuracies were within 9.3%. Additionally, we validated this method in 24-hour monitoring of plasma MPA concentrations after mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) morning and evening administration in 40 Japanese renal transplant recipients with 1.5 g/day MMF. The time to reach the maximum (11.7 mg/ml) and second peak (4.5 mg/ml) of MPA after morning 0.75 g MMF administration was 2.6 h and 9.0 h, and time to reach maximum (10.5 mg/ml) after evening 0.75 g administration was 4.0 h.


The contour of cam is created by X-C linkage motions. It is important that the X axis with grinding wheel frame accurately tracks the motion of the C axis. The coordination motion of the two axes is of great importance to the accuracy of the cam profile. The sliding mode variable structure (SMVS) control method can be applied to the servo axis position tracking control in the cam contour grinding. The SMVS control method has better performance than the PID control method both in control precision and disturbance resistance. But the chattering under SMVS control has a bad influence on the servo tracking performance. To solve this problem, the SMVS control based on neural network is applied to the motion of each servo axis in cam grinding. The displacement tracking of each servo axis is simulated and analyzed with Matlab/Simulink software. The error curve under neural network SMVS control is compared with the curve of the SMVC control. The simulation results show that the neural network SMVS control can inhibit the chattering effectively, and provide a new idea for improving the precision in cam grinding.


In spite of recent interest in its microfoundations, institutional theory's account of what, why, and when ideas diffuse remains limited and oversocialized. As such, it is unclear how firms decide what to adopt and how these decisions evolve across a population as innovations spread and become taken for granted. We review recent work in institutional theory on this issue and draw from learning theory to inform institutional accounts of adoption decisions in ways that add to current explanations of organizational heterogeneity. In particular, we develop a model of adoption strategies that explains how firms identify which practices to adopt by drawing on knowledge that is either local or distant (search scope) to understand what works and what does not (mindfulness). We then theorize how the decision to adopt is further conditioned by the extent of diffusion (temporal variation) and the characteristics of the field, organization, and innovation (decision context). We discuss the implications of this model for our understanding of how things diffuse and identify additional ways in which the microfoundations of institutional theory can be advanced by studying how organizations learn.


The temperature in the voice-coil of a loudspeaker is an important variable in the sense of protection against failure. In order to estimate the temperature in the voice-coil an adaptive filter has been used. The adaptive filter utilises a system identification setup. The impulse response of the loudspeaker is estimated and the impedance of the loudspeaker can therefore be derived. This is performed while the loudspeaker is under normal use, that is, with music as input. A curve fitting is performed on the impedance derived from the adaptive filter. This is done in order to describe the loudspeaker with its linear parameters. The relationship between the DC-resistance of the loudspeaker voice-coil and temperature is well-known. Therefore the temperature can be derived when the impedance is known. The accuracy of the system described in this thesis is not good enough for correctly estimating the temperature but this is believed to be measurement errors.


With the standstill frequency-response (SSFR) test, accurate electrical-machine models can be identified. However, it can be a time-consuming method, particularly in case the machine has to be identified at low frequencies. To shorten the required time for identification, in this paper, the response on a broadband signal is measured, resulting in a multisine SSFR test. To generate the broadband signal, a high-power linear amplifier can be applied as a waveform generator. As this signal generator is not commonly available in the field, the application of a voltage-source inverter (VSI) is discussed. The multisine SSFR test with a VSI allows swift evaluation of the influence of frequency, saturation, and cross saturation on the q-and d-axis parameters with a signal generator that is often already available to control the machine. Extensive measurements are performed on several permanent-magnet synchronous machines and the method can be extended to synchronous machines with rotor-field winding. By applying a switching converter instead of a linear amplifier, it can be expected that the identification results are affected by the switching actions. Therefore, multisine SSFR tests with either a VSI or a high-power linear amplifier as well as conventional tests as described in the IEEE standard are performed, and the results are compared.


While plenty has been written about gender representation on screen, much less has been written about gender in regards to screenplays. Emerging scholarly research around screenwriting practice often focuses on questions of the craft – is screenwriting a technical or creative act? – and whether or not the screenplay's only destiny is to disappear into the film (Carriere, cited in Maras 1999, 147). Thus there might be room for further exploration into screenwriters and their practice – to ask who (in regards to gender) is writing screenplays, especially considering the assertion of Dancyger and Rush that the three-act structure (a dominant screenwriting practice) is 'designed to suggest the story tells itself' (2013, 38). Moreover, questions of gender representation on screen might be considered from the perspective of screenwriting practice, given this same ubiquitous structure means that barriers, including those related to gender, 'are still presented as secondary to the transcendence of individual will' (Dancyger and Rush 2013, 36). This special issue of Networking Knowledge, then, brings together a collection of scholarly perspectives on screenwriting theory and practice through the lens of gender.


Abstract Background Patient‐reported outcome measures (PROMs) are valuable supplements in regular care to facilitate routine monitoring of quality of life from the patient's perspective. The 25‐item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI‐VFQ‐25) is a widely used PROM in ophthalmology. However, the NEI‐VFQ‐25 is too time‐consuming and cumbersome for routine evaluations in regular care. The aim of this study is to construct a 7‐item questionnaire of which only 3 items are presented to the patient, by means of routing. This VFQ 3 out of 7 (VFQ‐3oo7) should have a minimal loss of information compared with the NEI‐VFQ‐25. Methods An historical database including 3293 administrations of the NEI‐VFQ‐25 was constructed involving patients with retinal detachment, cataract, corneal diseases, glaucoma, macular degeneration, uveal melanoma and a normal population sample. The data were subjected to Rasch analyses, in particular a generalized partial credit model. Items were sorted on the latent trait and divided into seven categories. From each category, the item with the highest discriminative value was selected. Through routing, only three out of the seven remaining questions are used, where the answers navigate patients to a fitting trait level. Results A one‐dimensional structure was considered fitting. The VFQ‐3oo7 showed a small loss of information compared with the total score of the NEI‐VFQ‐25: correlation 0.927 and a relative precision of 0.868. Conclusion The very short, but valid, VFQ‐3oo7 can be applied to evaluate the patient's perceived vision‐related health status in routine evaluations of treatments in regular care, with a small burden for patients.


In structural geology and tectonics, most fundamental advances have come through observation. However, mechanical and kinematical modelling has provided an understanding of physical processes, as well as ideas for further investigation. As in other sciences, the main techniques in tectonics have been three: analytical, physical and numerical. For past and present times, I will compare and contrast these techniques, concentrating on their advantages, disadvantages, and dangers. For the future, I will attempt to predict their development, even though this exercise may be subjective and risky. Analytical modelling has had a long but erratic history, punctuated by occasional breakthroughs. Outstanding examples have been the theories of folding and flexure. The main advantages of the method are mathematical precision and elegance. The main disadvantages are (1) high requirements of mathematical ability, and (2) difficulties in incorporating nonlinear behaviour or complex boundary conditions. Physical modelling had a long history, but a slow start, until Hubbert (1937) formulated the rules for proper scaling. The method has developed very rapidly in the last few decades. Of great importance have been technical breakthroughs, especially (1) the use of weak materials, for which a centrifuge is not necessary, (2) the addition of surface processes, and (3) the development of visualization in 2D and 3D. The main advantages of the method are that (1) the results are real, visual, and instructive, (2) the models have good resolution, (3) sedimentation and erosion are simple to apply, (4) the experimenter has little need of experience in mathematics. The main disadvantages are that (1) the results are not easily reproducible, (2) the work may be time-consuming, even physically demanding, (3) boundary conditions may be difficult to control, (4) the range of suitable model materials is small, and (5) the exercise may appear childish to newcomers. Numerical modelling has the shortest history, but its development has been almost exponential in the last few decades, in pace with computers. The main advantages of the method are (1) reproducibility, (2) speed, (3) ability to incorporate non-linear behaviour, (4) ease of investigation of different parameters, (4) ease of presentation of results, (5) an appearance of sophistication. The main disadvantages are (1) high cost or unavailability of some software, (2) possible programming mistakes, (3) possible numerical errors. Ironically perhaps, the main danger of the method may be its ease of application. There is a current tendency for numerical modelling to substitute for good observations. Although physical modelling may remain useful for testing new ideas, the future probably lies in numerical modelling. I foresee many new developments in the numerical modelling of nonlinear processes, especially those involving feedback between mechanical, thermal and chemical aspects, as well as fluid flow, in two or three dimensions, and on all scales up to that of planet Earth. On the other hand, I would urge prudence in accepting some of the results


O n Friday, June 12, 2015, the American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID) honored Dr ''Jack'' A. Hahn with the Lifetime Achievement Award. It was a proper tribute to one of implant dentistry's most dedicated champions. As the history of implant dentistry continues to be written, Jack will be mentioned as one of the outstanding dental implant practitioners, leaders, educators, and innovators of our time. Jack has shared his talents with the entire dental community by teaching all dentists, regardless of their specialty status, and has always emphasized to do what is right. Several outstanding clinicians and individuals were called upon to honor Jack, including Drs Duke Heller, Paul Kozy, David Resnick, Richard Guaccio, Joe Orrico, Craig Cooper, David Vassos, Jack Krauser, and Kim Gowey, and each one of them commended him for his innovations and teaching skills and for his way of doing things with a flare that created great memories for everyone involved. Jack has enjoyed a distinguished 45-year career of practicing implant dentistry in Cincinnati, Ohio. He developed the highly successful NobelReplace dental implant and recently partnered with another implant-innovator, Jim Glidewell, owner and founder of Glidewell Laboratories, to develop the Hahn Tapered Implant. Jack has been a major contributor to the field, as evidenced by his many publications. He coauthored the well-received text ''Dental Implants – The Art and Science'' with Drs Charles Babbush, Jack Krauser, and Joel Rosenlicht. He has also contributed to the peer-reviewed literature by publishing multiple articles over the course of his career. Jack did not walk the road to significance by himself. Jack's wife, Barbara, has always been at his side offering support, advice, and love for Jack in his endeavors. The Hahns' kindness and leadership extends beyond the boundaries of implant dentistry. The Cincinnati Opera recently honored Jack and Barbara for being long-time supporters at a Gala Evening in Cincinnati. Barbara served on the board of the Cincinnati Opera Guild for 12 years and was honored as the 2011 ''Woman of the Year'' with a special recognition of her wide-ranging service through volunteering. Many people, within both our profession and the greater community, love and appreciate Jack and Barbara. On a personal note: I want to thank Jack for always being supportive of me and encouraging me to move forward with implant dentistry. Jack has helped my family and countless patients in my practice. Thanks, Jack. May you and Barbara enjoy each and every day!


Chapter 1: The three-dimensional nature of calixarenes and their applications in sensors are reviewed.

Chapter 2: Molecular mechanics was used to model the geometry of a sodium calixarene complex formed with a 1,3-alternate conformation. Partial charges were assigned to the calixarene ligands by a variety of methods. These included various semi-empirical methods (AMI, PM3 and MNDO) arbitrarily assigning formal charges to the ions and carrying out semi-empirical calculations on the full ligand:complex. An investigation into the effect of placing the cation in different starting positions was undertaken in the case of this complex also. The effect of using ligand partial charges calculated with the PM3 and MNDO semi-empirical methods is commented upon.

Chapters 3 and 4: A series of calixarene phosphine oxides were used to construct
ion-selective electrodes, (i.e., potentiometric sensors) and were found to be selective for calcium in the presence of a range of Group 1 and Group 2 interfering ions. Estimations of the characteristics of these electrodes (the cell constant, the Nemstian Slope Factor and potentiometric selectivity coefficients) were obtained by simple but rigorous procedure, developed for a potassium-selective valinomycin ionselective electrode. The procedure involved fitting the experimental data to a mathematical model by non-linear analysis. In this method, the interfering ion concentration is kept constant and the primary ion concentration is varied by means of a series of small volume 'spikes', added to a single solution, with the electrodes continually in contact, and measuring the cell potential after each addition.

Monte Carlo conformational searches with molecular mechanics geometry optimisation gave very clear and positive explanations for the selectivity several calixarenes for several Group 1 and Group 2 ion, while NMR spectroscopic studies supported the conclusions drawn from the modelling studies about changes in conformation upon complexation with metal ions.


In computer science, there currently exist several definitions of roles. We introduce roles from the perspective of a task relationship defined as a connection between entities via a set of tasks. In our view, a role is a component of a task relationship within the context of a cooperative multiagent system or organization. We describe a model of roles that approaches the meaning of what a role is from a computational perspective in task allocation and treats roles as participants in a task relationship. We utilize notation from linguistics to introduce how roles can influence each other. We argue that the key features of current models of roles can be mapped into our task relationship model, and we illustrate how this approach satisfies most of the desired properties of roles.


Coal fly ash is an industrial waste generated from the thermal power plant and a large amount of it could be produced annually in the world, which can cause serious environmental problems. Reutilization of coal fly ash could be imperative to alleviate the environmental pressure. Thus, in the present study, coal fly ash was used as silicon source for the synthesis of calcium silicate hydrates (C-S-Hs) though the desilication process. Two kinds of C-S-Hs was synthetized at 100°C and room temperature respectively, with the fixed Ca/Si molar ratio of 1.2, and adopted as the adsorbents for phosphate. The properties of them were characterized using XRD, SEM, FTIR, TG-DTA as well as surface area and pore analysis. Compared to C-S-H synthesized from high temperature, the C-S-H obtained at room temperature possessed high purity and larger surface area. Therefore, synthesis by agitation at room temperature could be an alternative method to produce C-S-H materials from desilication liquid of coal fly ash, and this could save infrastructure cost and energy consumption. Both C-S-H materials have good ability to immobilize phosphate pollutant (higher than 100 mg·g–1). The specific mechanisms of phosphate removal using C-S-H include several steps: firstly, phosphate ion was immobilized by binding with Ca2+and forming aggregates, and the C-S-H structures were gradually corroded. Eventually, hydroxyapatite was formed after the C-S-H structure was totally destroyed.


AbstractIntroduction. Approximately 88.000 cases of assault were reported to the Swedish police during 2010. Twenty-five percent of these cases were considered as violence against women. Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a worldwide issue and poses a major threat to women's health. In Sweden, 17 women are killed each year by an intimate partner. This study aimed at increasing the knowledge of perpetrators of intimate partner homicide (IPH), in terms of type of mental disorder and type of deadly violence exerted. Method. A total of 49 forensic psychiatric investigations were obtained from the Swedish National Board of Forensic Medicine in Huddinge. Eighteen perpetrators of IPH were compared to 31 perpetrators of deadly violence in a non-intimate relationship. Comparisons were made by coding principal diagnoses as described in the forensic psychiatric investigations, and type of deadly violence exerted using the Cornell coding guide for violent incidents. Results. Perpetrators of IPH were, to a greater extent, diagnosed with a dysphoric or borderline personality disorder (BPD), whereas perpetrators of deadly violence in a non-intimate relationship were significantly more often diagnosed with an antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). Perpetrators of IPH used more deadly violence with reactive features, whereas perpetrators of deadly violence in a non-intimate relationship used significantly more deadly violence with instrumental features. Discussion. The results of this study are in agreement with previous research. In conclusion, perpetrators of IPH are more reactive in their deadly violence and less antisocial, in terms of being diagnosed with ASPD and previous convictions, compared to perpetrators of deadly violence in a non-intimate relationship. This may be helpful in terms of preventing future risk for IPV and IPH.


The development of intellectual property (IP) protection in plant breeding brought much needed private investment into canola research in the 1980s, but at the same time, fragmented research and IP ownership. In the 1990s, the biotechnology industry tried to address the growing IP fragmentation through a series of mergers and acquisitions. As we show through a survey of canola breeders, these changes reduced the sharing of knowledge in both the public and private sector, significantly increasing the cost of conducting breeding research. In the past decade, firms have clearly moved away from mergers and acquisitions towards cross-licensing of IP. What remains to be seen, is whether these agreements get to the root of the freedom-to-operate (FTO) problem that exists in agricultural biotechnology.


Importance sampling is a promising strategy for improving the convergence rate of stochastic gradient methods. It is typically used to precondi-tion the optimization problem, but it can also be used to reduce the variance of the gradient estimator. Unfortunately, this latter point of view has yet to lead to practical methods that provably improve the asymptotic error of stochastic gradient methods. In this work, we propose stochastic reweighted gradient descent (SRG), a stochastic gradient method based solely on importance sampling that can reduce the variance of the gradient estimator and improve on the asymptotic error of stochastic gradient descent (SGD) in the strongly convex and smooth case. We show that SRG can be extended to combine the benefits of both importance-sampling-based preconditioning and variance reduction. When compared to SGD, the resulting algorithm can simultaneously reduce the condition number and the asymptotic error, both by up to a factor equal to the number of component functions. We demonstrate improved convergence in practice on regularized logistic regression problems.


Numerous failures of building seals and sealants have logical and, in most cases, simple explanations as to why the seal or sealant failed to function as intended. This paper focuses on a failure mechanism that is not as apparent or simple to explain, failure caused by improper mixing of two part sealant of the reversion of cured sealant. On two separate buildings with the same sealant, the authors encountered a varied mode of failure. This paper documents the investigation of one of these projects and discusses the failure phenomena in relation to the orientation of the sealant joints and the analysis of physical properties of seals exposed to varied conditions of ultraviolet radiation and elevated temperatures. It is concluded that reversion in certain types of polyurethane sealants compounded with benzoate based plasticizer is more likely when exposed to conditions of high levels of ultraviolet radiation and elevated temperatures.


Assessed from T-1/T-2 Ratio DTU Orbit (31/10/2017)  Low-Field NMR Spectrometry of Chalk and Argillaceous Sandstones: Rock-Fluid Affinity Assessed from T-1/T-2 Ratio Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) procedure typically minimizes the effects of external magnetic field gradients on the transverse relaxation. Thus, longitudinal, and transverse, T-2, relaxation times should in principle be similar. However, internal magnetic field gradients related to minerals can shorten T-2, as compared to provided the saturating fluid has high affinity to the solid. Consequently, the T-1/T-2 ratio should quantify the affinity between the mineral and wetting pore fluid, so we estimate wettability from logging data by comparing the T-1/T-2 ratio of oil and water peaks in the reservoir zone to the T-1/T-2 ratio in the water zone. We tested the hypothesis on core samples and used the predicted wettability to successfully determining the elastic bulk modulus of samples containing oil and water.In order to investigate the T-2shortening, we performed 1D and 2D NMR experiments on samples of chalk, kaolinitic sandstone, and chloritic greensand, saturated either with water, oil or oil/water at irreducible water saturation. The 1D NMR experiment involved determination of T-2 spectrum, whereas the 2D NMR experiments included determination of T-1-T-2 and D-T-2 maps, where D is the intrinsic diffusion coefficient.T-2 spectra show that in all water-saturated samples, surface relaxation dominates; in oil-saturated chalk and kaolinitic sandstone, bulk relaxation dominates; whereas T-2 of oil-saturated greensand shows surface relaxation in the part of the spectrum representing chlorite. In all samples with irreducible water saturation, water shows surface relaxation, whereas oil shows bulk relaxation. In line with this observation D-T-2 maps of these samples show field gradient effects in the oil, but not in the water indicating that the water is trapped between solid and oil due to restricted diffusion.A T-2 shortening will increase the T-1/T-2 ratio, so we use the T-1/T-2 ratio obtained from T-1-T-2 maps as a measure of fluid-mineral affinity. By this measure, the chalk shows high affinity for water, the kaolinitic sandstone has no clear preference for oil or water, whereas chloritic greensand shows different behavior for small and large pores. Small pores (fast-relaxing components) have T-1/T-2 = 2.0 when water saturated, but T-1/T-2 = 3.8 when oil saturated, indicating oil-affinity of chlorite. By contrast, large pores (slow-relaxing components) have significant preference for water (T-1/T-2 = 2.2) as compared to oil (T-1/T-2 = 1.2 to 1.4).Overall, this paperprovides an insight into the preference of a mineral to a fluid and ultimately into determining the wettability and correct pore-fluid distribution of a reservoir rock.


ABSTRACT Rare remains of tyrannosauroid dinosaurs from the Aguja Formation in West Texas indicate the presence here of a relatively gracile species, comparable in form and adult size to Appalachiosaurus or subadult albertosaurines, Gorgosaurus and Albertosaurus. Histologic analysis of one of the specimens indicates that the Aguja tyrannosaur attained an adult size substantially smaller than adult albertosaurines (700 kg, 6·5 m body length). The frontal bone is narrow with a wide orbital slot and a bipartite joint for the postorbital, features thought to be diagnostic of Albertosaurinae; but there is a tall sagittal crest and reduced parietal wedge separating the frontals on the midline, features thought to be diagnostic of Tyrannosaurinae. The tall sagittal crest may be a synapomorphy of Tyrannosaurinae, and the Aguja tyrannosaur is herein referred to that clade. However, the unique combination of character states exhibited by the frontal prevents confident attribution to any known species. The Aguja tyrannosaur provides further evidence that North American Campanian tyrannosauroids were remarkably diverse for such large predators, and that each species was apparently endemic to a relatively small geographic province.


This article analyzes the health service conducted by the state along with private sectors and it illustrates the positive roles of public health agencies. A more active role of state supported by tax and priority in state budget will result in social inclusion and access for the majority in the lower strata. On the other hand, privatization of state hospitals will weaken state's capacity in providing health services. The increased role of domestic and foreign private sectors within health industry must be controlled in order to protect patients and to create a fair competition in the health service market. This complex change calls for a strong accountability of state institutions as well as health service providers and practitioners, especially doctors as it requires a more critical mass media and active society. It needs a paradigm that perceives patients as citizens with their constitutional rights supported by their members of legislature in their constituencies, not merely as consumers in uncontrolled market.

Keywords: Public Health, Privatization, Capitalism, Social Inclusion, Social Change


The etiological heterogeneity of idiopathic diabetes has been recognized for 25 years, and subdivision into type 1 and type 2 diabetes is fundamental to the way we think about the disease. Review of the literature suggests that the concept of type 1 diabetes as an immunemediated disease emerged rapidly over the period from 1974 to 1976 and showed many of the features of a classic paradigm shift. A few key observations triggered recognition and acceptance of the new paradigm, but the necessary context was provided by scientific developments in areas mainly unrelated to diabetes. The disease paradigm established by 1976 is still widely accepted, and its essential features have been modified only in detail by the revolution in molecular biology that has occurred over the intervening period. Notwithstanding, some of the underlying assumptions remain imprecise, unchallenged, or unconfirmed. Appreciation of the historical origin and subsequent evolution of these fundamental concepts could stimulate critical analysis and help prepare the way for a new paradigm.


In a deregulated electricity marketcongestion management of the transmission network is an essential task of an Independent System Operator (ISO).A congested transmission network threatens the safe and secure operation of a power system and reduces the competitiveness and efficiency of the electricity market. In this paper, an OPF based congestion management procedure has been discussed and Catfish Particle Swarm Optimization (C-PSO) has been utilized to manage the congestion. The proposed C-PSO based algorithm has been implemented on an IEEE 30-bus system and compared with the basic PSO based algorithm. The results have shown that the CPSO based congestion management gives better results as compared to PSO based congestion management. Keywords—Congestion management, Optimal Power Flow, Particle Swarm Optimization,Catfish PSO.


A number of countries have recently discovered and are developing oil and gas reserves. Policy makers in such countries are anxious to obtain the greatest benefits for their economies from the extraction of these exhaustible resources by designing appropriate policies to achieve desired goals. One important theme of such policies is the so-called local content created by the sector- the extent to which the output of the extractive industry sector generates further benefits to the economy beyond the direct contribution of its value-added, through its links to other sectors. Local Content Policies (LCPs) were first introduced in the North sea in the early 1970s and ranged from restrictions on imports to direct state intervention in the oil sector. While LCPs have the potential to stimulate broad-based economic development, which is necessary to alleviate poverty and achieve the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), their application in petroleum-rich countries has achieved mixed results. This paper serves to introduce the topic by describing policies and practices meant to foster the development of economic links from the petroleum sector, as adopted by a number of petroleum-producing countries both in and outside the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The paper is organized as follows: chapter one defines local content and briefly illustrates the links between the petroleum sector and other economic sectors (where policies may be able to increase the economic benefits of the petroleum sector). An attempt is made to measure local content levels in a wide sample of petroleum-producing countries including net importers and net exporters, and countries at different stages of economic development to put LCPs in context and to consider if the structure of an economy is a key driver of local content levels. Chapter two discusses the arguments that have been used in favor and against the use of productive development policies in general and LCPs in particular. Chapter three provides an outline of the tools and types of LCPs that have been used by petroleum producing countries, and present their strengths and weaknesses. Chapter four focuses on issues related to the measurement and monitoring of LCPs, and discusses the limitations of alternative metrics. Chapter five provides a description of LCP objectives, implementation tools, and reporting metrics used in a selected sample of oil-producing countries including Angola, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Trinidad and Tobago and draw initial lessons that may be relevant to other countries.


In this paper we attempt to describe the general picture reasons behind the world population explosion during the 20 th century. In general we comment that if, according to some, at the end of the 20 th century there were too many people, this was has a consequence of scientific innovation, circulation of information, and economic growth, leading to a dramatic improvement in life expectancies. Nevertheless, a crucial variable shaping differences in demographic growth is fertility. In this paper we identify as important exogenous variables affecting fertility female education levels, infant mortality, and racial identity and diversity. It is estimated that three additional years of schooling for mothers leads on average (at the world level ) to one child less per couple. Even if we can identify a worldwide trend towards convergence in demographic trends, the African case needs to be given more attention, not only because of its different demographic patterns, but also because this is the continent where the worldwide movement towards a higher quality of life has not yet been achieved for an important share of the world's population.


In this paper we study the computational complexity of postoptimizing partially ordered plans, i.e., we investigate the problem that is concerned with detecting and deleting unnecessary actions. For totally ordered plans it can easily be tested in polynomial time whether a single action can be removed without violating executability. Identifying an executable subplan, i.e., asking whether k plan steps can be removed, is known to be NP-complete. We investigate the same questions for partially ordered input plans, as they are created by many search algorithms or used by real-world applications – in particular time-critical ones that exploit parallelism of non-conflicting actions. More formally, we investigate the computational complexity of removing an action from a partially ordered solution plan in which every linearization is a solution in the classical sense while allowing ordering insertions afterwards to repair arising executability issues. It turns out that this problem is NP-complete – even if just a single action is removed – and thereby show that this reasoning task is harder than for totally ordered plans. Moreover, we identify the structural properties responsible for this hardness by providing a fixed-parameter tractability (FPT) result.


Abstract The LNG production plant processing natural gas from the Snohvit field outside Hammerfest in northern Norway utilizes heat and power produced locally with gas turbines. Building a new production train supplied with electricity from the power grid is being evaluated as a possible solution for reducing CO2 emissions from the plant. Buying electricity from the grid rather than producing it in a combined heat and power plant makes it necessary to find new ways to cover the heat loads at the production plant. A project thesis was written in the fall semester 2010 evaluating the possibility of generating the necessary heat with heat pumps. It was concluded that parts of the required heat could be delivered with reasonable efficiencies using heat pumps. Further, a heat pump delivering heat to the CO2-removal system was analyzed. Simulations showed that the required heat load, reaching approximately 62 MW at full production, could be delivered from a heat pump using butane as working fluid. The electrical power consumption for the compressors would be 23.3 MW, giving the heat pump a COP of 2.66. In this master thesis the heat pump suggested earlier is analyzed, focusing on identifying losses. Several possible changes that will enhance the heat pump's efficiency are suggested. The use of other workings fluids and mixed refrigerants are analyzed as well, using the process simulation software Pro/II. The simulations indicates that the heat pump should be equipped with a flash tank at middle pressure, thereby reducing throttling losses and required mass flows through the evaporators. In addition, the suction gas should be overheated as much as possible. Using mixed refrigerants lowers the efficiency of the heat pump. Finally, two new systems are suggested: One with butane as workings fluid and one with pentane, both with flash tank at middle pressure and superheated suction gas. The pentane-system gives the highest system COP, but requires much bigger compressors than the butane-system. The table shows the most important results. Working fluid Electrical power consumption [MW] Volume flow suction gas [m3/h] COP Butane (C4H10) 18.6 55000 3.35 Pentane (C5H12) 17.5 150000 3.54 The power grid electricity is assumed to have been produced without any CO2 emissions. Covering the heat required by the CO2 removal system with a gas fired furnace would generate CO2 emissions of approximately 120,000 tons per year. Heat pumps are a good solution because they deliver relatively cheap heat without these CO2 emissions.


Aspergillus infections are being increasingly recognized as an important cause of morbidity and blindness. We report here the first cluster of Aspergillus ustus endophthalmitis cases which occurred in a large tertiary care hospital during the period October 2003 to June 2004. In three of the cases, the patients required enucleation following cataract surgery, while the fourth involved a fatal infection in a pediatric patient hospitalized for osteopetrosis. Patient charts from the four cases were reviewed retrospectively and indicated that postoperative signs of fungal endophthalmitis developed in the patients 1-11 weeks after surgery. The molecular characterization of the isolates and their epidemiological relatedness were evaluated by Random Amplification of Polymorphic DNA (RAPD). A source investigation of this mini outbreak was performed by environmental sampling, but no isolates of A. ustus were recovered from these studies. All A. ustus strains isolated from three patients with fungal endophthalmitis had the same RAPD pattern suggesting a common source. The strain from the pediatric patient differed from the ophthalmic isolates in five electrophoretic loci. The latter was included solely as an outbreak, unrelated control to evaluate the discriminatory power of the molecular typing method employed in the analysis of the ophthalmic strains. These cases illustrate the potential for uncommon species like A. ustus to cause high morbidity and mortality in some clinical settings. Aspergillus ustus endophthalmitis is a serious and devastating complication of ocular surgery. It is unknown whether ongoing hospital construction may have contributed to this cluster of cases. Random amplification of polymorphic DNA may give valuable clues about the clonality of A. ustus strains.


Although the use of cytokine-mobilized peripheral blood stem cells has gained a significant momentum in clinical transplantation, the mobilization schemes practiced are guided by a great deal of empiricism. The mechanism(s) by which cytokines or chemokines, alone or in combination, bring about redistribution of stem/progenitor cells from bone marrow to peripheral blood are poorly understood. Likewise the fate of mobilized stem/progenitor cells and their biological properties are incompletely defined. One of the leading hypotheses to explain the mechanism of cytokine-induced mobilization encompasses the view that cytokines disrupt, directly or indirectly, cytoadhesive interactions of stem/progenitor cells with their bone marrow stroma. Compatible with this view are changes in the expression and/or function of several cytoadhesion molecules, especially integrins, postmobilization, and extensive in vitro experimentation supporting the concept of cytokine/integrin interactions. To provide a further insight on the cytokine/integrin interplay in vivo, we have combined cytokine treatments with anti-integrin treatments for mobilization in primates and mice. We found that anti-VLA4 treatment combined with either granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF ) treatment or kit ligand treatment leads to significant enhancement of mobilization efficiency (fivefold to eightfold) well above the levels produced by either cytokine alone or anti-VLA4 treatment alone. Similar enhancement was seen when combinations of cytokines, ie, G-CSF plus kit ligand or G-CSF plus Flt3-ligand were used with anti-VLA4 in primates and mice. Furthermore, when anti-VLA4 was given in 5-Fluorouracil–treated primates, significant numbers of progenitor cells were circulating for several days during the recovery period only in the anti-VLA4 treated animals. These data suggest that (1) the effect of anti-VLA4 on mobilization, when used alone, is unlikely to be mediated by secondary cytokine elaboration in vivo; (2) three different cytokines and their combinations do not appear to influence the in vivo responsiveness to anti-VLA4 in coadministration schemes; (3) even if cytokine treatments on their own exert downmodulation of VLA4 function, the target progenitor cells influenced by anti-VLA4 or by cytokines may not necessarily overlap; and (4) augmentation of mobilization in cytokine/anti-VLA4 treatments is most likely caused by an amplification of the pool of target cells on which anti-VLA4 exerts its effects. Because cytokines or anti-VLA4 are each capable of mobilizing long-term repopulating cells and because we show with the present studies that anti-VLA4 in an autologous bone marrow cell transplantation setting does not cause any delay in engraftment, the combination of cytokine/anti-integrin treatment enhancing mobilization may have a clinical use.


Malleable Anatomies by Lucia Dacome presents the history of anatomical modelling in mid-18th-century Italy. It explores the lives of people involved in the production, consumption, and display of anatomical models, and uses their biographical histories as a lens through which to investigate the 'lives' of anatomical wax models as material objects, commodities, and communicators of bodily knowledge. In the book Dacome examines a multitude of interactions between medicine, religion, politics, art, and commerce on the Italian peninsula in the age of Enlightenment, as a period that brought with it a growing fascination with the body, celebrity, and travel, as well as a prominent visual and material culture. Dacome shows that it was the distinctive fusion of medicine, religion, and artisanal culture in mid-18th century Bolonga which gave birth to fashions for anatomical wax models which later spread elsewhere in Italy, and eventually throughout Europe, in the late 18th and 19th centuries.


A new class of stochastic field models is constructed using nested stochastic partial differential equations (SPDEs). The model class is computationally efficient, applicable to data on general smooth manifolds, and includes both the Gaussian Matern fields and a wide family of fields with oscillating covariance functions. Nonstationary covariance models are obtained by spatially varying the parameters in the SPDEs, and the model parameters are estimated using direct numerical optimization, which is more efficient than standard Markov Chain Monte Carlo procedures. The model class is used to estimate daily ozone maps using a large data set of spatially irregular global total column ozone data.


In the study, we investigated effects of 2 different versions of a web-based tutoring system to provide 5th-grade students with strategy instruction about text structure, which was an intervention to improve reading comprehension. The design feature assessed varied in individualization of instruction (individualized or standard). The more individually tailored version was developed to provide remediation or enrichment lessons matched to the individual needs of each student. Stratified random assignment was used to compare the effects of 2 versions of the 6-month web-based intervention. Students in the individualized condition made greater improvements from pretest to posttest on a standardized reading comprehension test (d 0.55) than did students in the standard condition (d 0.30). Students receiving more individualized instruction demonstrated higher mastery achievement goals when working in the lessons than did students receiving the standard instruction (d 0.53). Students receiving more individualized instruction showed greater improvement in using signaling, better work in lessons, and more positive posttest attitudes toward computers than did students receiving standard instruction. Students in both conditions improved their recall of ideas from texts and their use of the text structure strategy and comparison signaling words.


Innate immunity is regulated by cholinergic signalling through nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. We show here that signalling through the M3muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (M3R) plays an important role in adaptive immunity to bothNippostrongylus brasiliensis and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, as M3R mice were impaired in their ability to resolve infection with either pathogen. CD4 T cell activation and cytokine production were reduced in M3R mice. Immunity to secondary infection withN. brasiliensiswas severely impaired, with reduced cytokine responses in M3R mice accompanied by lower numbers of mucus-producing goblet cells and alternatively activated macrophages in the lungs. Ex vivo lymphocyte stimulation of cells from intact BALB/c mice infected withN. brasiliensis and S. typhimurium with muscarinic agonists resulted in enhanced production of IL-13 and IFN-γ respectively, which was blocked by anM3R-selective antagonist. Our data therefore indicate that cholinergic signalling via the M3R is essential for optimal Th1 and Th2 adaptive immunity to infection.


In this paper, a virtual elevation method of a sound source is proposed for a stereo loudspeaker reproduction. To achieve this goal, the proposed method first applies a head-related transfer function (HRTF) to the sound source to vertically localize it. Then, spectral notch filtering followed by directional band boosting is used for the further elevation of the sound source. In particular, a filter having three notches is designed by analyzing the spectral characteristics estimated from the measured HRTF database and by investigating the effect of spectral boosting on the perception of sound elevation. To evaluate the elevation performance of the proposed method, subjective listening tests are subsequently conducted using several sound sources, including male and female speech, as well as guitar, violin, and pop music. It is shown from the tests that the sound sources processed by the proposed method are most likely to be perceived as if they are played from stereo loudspeakers located at around 20°, even though the stereo loudspeakers are actually located on a horizontal plane, i.e.,0o.1.


Objectives: Experimenting with drugs undoubtedly starts out as recreational. In spite of the risks and negative information with regard to taking drugs, people still feel the need to experiment. No-one deliberately sets out to become labelled as a 'drug addict'. So what is the attraction? Previous research has identified a genetic basis for addiction and studies have explored aspects of the 'self' and 'identity' with regard to understanding addiction. In recent years, a multitude of studies comparing intervention, psychotherapies and maintenance programmes to treat addiction has been executed .The aim of this study was to explore participants own accounts of their lived experiences in engaging in their drug recovery.
Design: The study uses Interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) to identify recurring themes by analysing participant's experiences of drug addiction for a better understanding of the process of drug addiction, the defining moment of deciding to take back control and the recovery process.
Methods: A qualitative research method was employed for this study. Six participants were recruited from a voluntary organisation in Scotland, which offers a free and confidential service to individuals whose lives have been affected by drug addiction. Using open questions, the semi-structured interviews took place at the centre. Data was recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data analysis followed IPA guidelines.
Results: Participants described their experiences of becoming addicted, life as addicted and the process of recovery through their own engagement. The data analysis identified five superordinate themes: possessed; accounts of self; keeping busy; vicious cycle and avoiding endemic areas.
Conclusions: The results are discussed in relation to current psychological literature for the identification of future intervention programmes and psychotherapies.


For fast iris recognition, it is very important to capture the user's focused eye image at fast speed. Previous researchers have used the focusing method which has been applied to general landscape scenes without considering the characteristics of the iris image. So, they take much focusing time, especially in the case of the user with glasses. To overcome such problems, we propose a new iris image acquisition method to capture focused eye images at very fast speed based on corneal specular reflection. Experimental results show that the focusing time for both users with and without glasses averages 480 ms, and we conclude that our method can be used for the real-time iris recognition camera.